Zambia’s government has partnered with local telecommunications firm Infratel in an attempt to close the gender divide in the country’s tech industry.
The 2025 Infratel Girls in Tech Bootcamp is being held in the capital, Lusaka.
Running under the theme ‘Empowering the next generation of innovators’, the event is being hailed as a practical application of the vision set by the government to inspire more women to explore science, technology, engineering and technology (STEM).
Felix Mutati, the country’s technology and science minister officiated at the launch of the bootcamp, which kicked off on Wednesday.
He said that the participants must be defined by their intellect and capabilities, not by their gender.
“We must ensure that the free education policy creates a pathway not just to literacy, but to digital literacy and global competitiveness.”
Evans Silavwe, CEO, Infratel, noted the ICT industry had only 30% female representation, hence the company’s intervention to address the gaps.
“We are planting the seeds for a generation of women leaders, engineers, founders and fearless innovators who will drive our digital economy forward,” Silavwe said.
The government established Infratel in 2017 to own and operate sharable ICT infrastructure.
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